Faxes were OK when they came into a machine and somebody handed you pieces of paper, but now fast faxes, blast faxes, attack faxes and so forth come pouring into my PC, where they go into a fax program that is cumbersome and unreadable.

Many Senate aides said their offices are counting input only from home-state constituents. Senate aides said that in recent years, they have been flooded with "blast faxes" and e-mail "spam lists," both of which can send countless messages to senators with the push of a computer button.

One goal at the convention was to encourage a grass roots lobbying organization among Florida bankers. The trade group uses what it calls a "blast fax," which it sends to bankers statewide when the association wants them to call legislators on a specific issue. A script often accompanies the fax to help bankers appear up on the issue.